Chapter 6: Steel Defense!
A gold card.
As expected—she was the future Emperor of the sea, Big Mom!
Roy waved his hand gently and touched the glowing card.
An orange light flashed. The spinning card stopped, revealing the text and image etched on its surface.
It was a cartoon likeness of Linlin—round and plump—while a sword struck her body, unable to leave a scratch.
[Steel Defense (Orange): Possesses defenses like a steel balloon. Even if a giant's blade strikes, it will break before leaving so much as a scratch.]
[Card Unlock Effect: Only 10% of the talent's power can be used.]
[Tip: The effect scales with intimacy value. The higher the intimacy, the greater the unlocking effect.]
Roy's eyes narrowed in satisfaction. This was a good card. Very good.
As long as he stayed close to Linlin, fed her well, and raised her intimacy, his Steel Defense would grow stronger and stronger—perhaps even reaching her terrifying level one day.
His system had never actually said that intimacy only came from romance. Friendship—and especially food—was enough for Linlin.
No problem there. He treated her as a good friend, gave her delicious meals, and raised his power. Whether she turned into a monster in the future was none of his concern.
His fishpond had no place for whales.
"Let's see the other cards." Roy flicked his wrist, and several more floated into view.
[Linlin's Observation Haki Talent (Purple): Very strong, but often neglected.]
[Linlin's Armament Haki Talent (Orange): Super strong!]
[Linlin's Conqueror's Haki Talent (Orange): A one-in-a-million king's talent!]
[Excellent Appearance (Purple): I am the most beautiful!]
[Monster Giant Power (Orange): Weak as a chicken? Crush a giant with one punch!]
Roy studied them carefully. Armament Haki was powerful, but his body wasn't strong enough to handle it yet. Observation Haki required years of training.
The Conqueror's Haki card had a red mark beside it. Curious, he tapped it.
[Note: Conqueror's Haki requires the proper state of mind. The host must grow before awakening it.]
Roy sighed. So even if he unlocked it, the ability wouldn't awaken unless he had the spirit to wield it.
The stun and entanglement of Conqueror's Haki were tempting… but for now, he chose Steel Defense.
Defense came first. Especially with the Winter Solstice only twelve days away—when Linlin's hunger would explode. He needed to be prepared to survive.
Steel Defense could be used immediately. Like Giant Strength, it was a talent that gave massive early-game survival.
Reaching out, Roy tapped the glowing card.
Light flared. The orange card split into two—one remained in his slot, the other drifted back toward Linlin.
Her other talents wrapped themselves in gray once more, returning to her body, while Steel Defense stayed with Roy.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
His own three talent cards floated into view. The orange Steel Defense card pushed aside the weaker ones, floating proudly in the center.
Like an older brother bullying his younger siblings.
Roy clenched his fists, then ran his hands along his body, testing for changes.
No fever. No pain. No strange rejection.
"Hah. So all those stories about mutations and near-death side effects were lies."
"Hey! You two better behave and get along, okay?" Linlin's voice boomed nearby. She was sitting on the lawn, her enormous figure blotting out the sun.
For Roy, her shadow was his shade.
She held a lifeless wolf in one hand and a dead giant bear in the other, speaking to them as though they were still alive.
"Hey, Roy, the nun always says we should live in peace, right?" Linlin looked down at him. The other children of the Sheep'si House, along with the giant kids of Elbaf, all avoided her. Only Roy stayed by her side, willing to chat and play.
"That's right," Roy nodded, sitting up from the lawn and clenching his fists.
But deep down, he knew—peace only came when both sides had the strength to back their words. The bigger the fist, the easier the peace.
Of course, he kept such thoughts to himself. After all, he looked like nothing more than a six-year-old boy in this world.
"Right?" Linlin nodded, then glanced down at the wolf and bear in her grip. She shook them gently, but their bodies remained limp.
"You have to be good and obedient. Don't bully Roy, and don't fight with each other!" she scolded, her childish voice booming.
The truth was simple. While Roy had been resting, the wolf crept toward him, and the bear charged from the other side. Linlin caught them both before they could reach him. But her strength was overwhelming. With just a little too much pressure, the two beasts were crushed to death instantly.
Linlin's power was terrifying. Even as a child, she could wound or kill a giant with a single slap.
Roy stared at the corpses in her hands. If he remembered right, in the original story these animals had been alive, teaching her the value of peace. Their deaths here were just… a little different.
"Ha…" Roy lay back down, rolling onto his side to rest. His mind turned instead toward how he should train next.
Meanwhile, Linlin continued to talk earnestly to the dead wolf and bear.
Silly, naive, and honestly adorable—Roy had to admit, young Linlin had her charms. But her hunger problem was something he could never afford to take lightly. Once her cravings broke out, she wouldn't care if it was friend or foe—she'd attack everything in sight.
That simple truth meant he could never consider her a true crewmate in the future.
"It's so strange, so strange!" Linlin finally dropped the two lifeless animals, her tears mixing with snot as she cried out loud.
"Linlin," Roy called, standing and looking up at her.
"Huh?" She glanced down, eyes red and wet. The wolf and bear, of course, ignored her—because they were already gone.
"Nonsense… you crushed them to death," Roy muttered in his heart. But his lips curved into a gentle smile. "It's not Linlin's fault. Didn't you save me just now? How about this—I'll make you a cake tonight."
"Eh? Really? Okay, okay!" Linlin brightened, nodding eagerly before her face clouded again. "But… why can't they just get along?"
Roy chuckled, turning back toward the Sheep's House with Linlin trailing behind him. "Because the bear and the wolf…"
He explained in simple words, mixing half-truths and half-coaxing, feeding lessons into the ears of this oversized, troublesome child.
"You know, Linlin, there are many smart animals in this world," Roy continued, steering her thoughts elsewhere. "There are Manatees in Alabasta, the Labang in Drum Kingdom, and the battle gorillas of Kuraikana…"
Her tears dried instantly as her attention shifted, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Brother Roy, in the future, I want a big family—where people of every race can live together in peace!"
Roy smiled faintly. "Linlin can definitely do it."
[Intimacy with Linlin +10!]
Roy blinked in surprise. So it wasn't just food—talking about dreams could also raise intimacy?
That made sense. In a passionate world like this, ideals and emotions were just as powerful as meals.
[New Fanfic Release:
Title: One Piece: Copying Talents ]
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Title: Demon Slayer: I Became The Demon King
Title: Jujutsu Kaisen: Starting With Dual Kamui]
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